It’s been quite some time since I’ve taken any new looks at the extended, very extended, Williams family that I pieced together about 25 years ago.
Two of those families, that of two children of Charles Williams who died in late 1825 in Morgan county, Tennessee, have remained brick walls, in spite of my repeated attempts to find them.
Charles’ eldest daughter was Mary Williams, born c1800, who married William Cobb sometime before August 1825, when Charles wrote his will. The Cobbs both died young, before March 1844, but had three surviving sons, Henry, Francis and William Cobb, who by 1844 “were in Mississippi when last heard from.” The Cobb surname is quite common and I’ve had no luck proving that any of them I found in Mississippi are the children of William and Mary (Williams) Cobb.
Charles’ eldest son was Reuben Williams, born c1798 and who died about October 1833 in Morgan County, Tennessee. he married Mahuldah Cobb, probably the sister of William Cobb, his brother-in-law, on 7 December 1819 in Roane County, Tennessee.
Building a FAN club for this family has been difficult because the early Tenneessee federal censuses are missing and, after Reuben died, it appears that his widow and children moved over the state line to Franklin County, Alabama and probably lived with Mahuldah’s brother, Asa Cobb.
I say probably because, while Asa Cobb appears in the Franklin County agricultural census, the census taker forgot to enumerate his family AND the Franklin County courthouse burned in 1890 causing the destruction of many records. There are no marriage, land or probate records before 1890!
Reuben and Mahuldah were the parents of six children, birth order uncertain, but in March 1844, Joseph was the only child of legal age. Asa, Robert and “Debby” were minors.
Asa Cobb, their uncle, was named as their guardian.
Children: (Williams)
- Joseph Miller, born c1821; died after 24 February 1846, when he lived in Franklin County, Alabama
- Asa Cobb, born c1823; died after 24 February 1846, when he lived in Franklin County, Alabama
- Robert T., born c1825; died after 24 February 1846, when he lived in Franklin County, Alabama
- Deborah R., born c1827; died after 24 October 1850, when she lived in Franklin County, Alabama
- Reuben, born c1829; died between October 1840, when he was an heir of his father and March 1844, when he was no longer called an heir
- Francis, born c1831; died between October 1840, when he was an heir of his father and March 1844, when he was no longer called an heir
Further confirmation of the deaths of Reuben and Francis is found when Joseph, Asa and Robert sold their land shares of their father’s estate on 24 February 1846 in Roane County, Tennessee. Neither Reuben nor Francis sold any estate shares.
Deborah was likely born c1827 or 1828 and came of age by 1850 when she sold her land share of her father’s estate in Roane County.
The recorded deeds all state that Joseph, Asa, Robert and Deborah were residents of Franklin County at the time the deeds were recorded in Alabama and mailed to the Roane County, Tennessee clerk.
Even with the help of full-text search, I’ve not made any new discoveries about Joseph, Asa, Robert or Deborah. They were not in the 1860 census of Franklin County, Alabama.
I suspect that they might have all moved to Mississippi as their uncle, Asa Cobb, was a wealthy man (he owned 37 enslaved persons in 1850). There is one Asa Cobb, born 1802 in Tennessee living in Coahoma County, Mississippi in 1860 with a much younger wife and young children, all born in Alabama. His real estate is valued at $54,000 and real estate at $60,000.
Oddly, there doesn’t seem to be a single person named Williams living in Coahoma County! Nor are there any Debby, Debra or Deborahs living in that county.
Their mother, Mahuldah (Cobb) Williams is another loose end, not found in 1850 or in any later records.
If any of these people seem familiar to you and are living in Tennessee, Alabama or Mississippi after 1850, I would love to hear from you.
It’s hard to believe an entire family just disappeared forever.
They are a very perplexing family and it seems unlikely that all four died as young adults under the age of forty.
Where did they go?